Radiant Memories
by Kaorei
Summary: Radiant Garden; it was one small place that held so many memories. Some of them may have been forgotten by the mind, but the heart will always remember. WishingDreamer5's challenge.
1. Restoration

This is my very first challenge, so I hope I do okay with it. Enjoy! :) A hint of Squall/Yuffie in here.

**_Disclaimer : I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Tetsuya Noruma. And this 50 theme challenge belongs to WishingDreamer5._**

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><p><strong><em>Radiant Memories<em>**

_~One~_

**R e s t o r a t i o n**

Leon took one step outside and inhaled the fresh air.

After several days of hard work, Radiant Garden had finally been restored to its natural beauty.

The sweet aroma of the flowers Aerith planted travelled through the air and the gentle howling of the wind resounded all over the place. Rubble no longer littered the ground, Heartless no longer attacked and dark clouds no longer appeared in the sky. Everything was perfect.

The brunet looked up at the sky and after so many years, he smiled.

A certain black-haired ninja noticed this and, being Yuffie, jumped on him, causing him to fall.

"Yuffie! Get off of me!" Leon ordered at the giggling ninja.

"Squallie! You actually smiled!" she grinned and got off of him.

"It's Leon." he sighed in annoyance. "Is there any reason to why you came? Or are you just here to attack me with your annoying shenanigans?"

"Ahaha. Right." she said sarcastically. "Me and everyone else were wondering if you wanted to join in our picnic. You know, just to celebrate for our success in restoring Radiant Garden."

"Sure." the two walked side by side.

"Hey, Squallie?"

"Yeah?"

"You should smile more often." she said. "It suits you."

For the second time that day, even if it was just for a few seconds, Leon smiled.

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><p>Thanks for reading the first chapter! Please review! :)<p> 


	2. Flowers

Second drabble! And Yuffie's in here again. Come on, she's awesome! xD She's about seven years old or so here. Thank you for the nice reviews, by the way! They mean a lot! :D

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><p><em><strong>Radiant Memories<strong>_

_~Two~_

**F l o w e r s**

"Hey, Aerith?" a raven-haired girl asked. A brunette who was currently pulling weeds out looked up, smiling.

"Yes, Yuffie?" she asked, tucking a strand of her silky locks behind her ear.

"Why do you like flowers so much?" Yuffie asked curiously.

"Hmm," she tilted her head and placed a finger on her chin. "Well, what do you think?"

"It's because of the pretty colors! Right?" Aerith giggled.

"Yes, but that's not the only reason."

"Then what's the other one?"

"Because each flower has its meaning." she smiled, sprinkling pink flowers with sparkling water. The young ninja tilted her head in confusion.

"They do?" Aerith nodded her head as her loose curls bounced around her face.

"Of course," she smiled, pulling a white daisy out of the ground and placing it in Yuffie's soft hair. "White daisies mean purity, innocence, patience and simplicity."

Aerith, being the flowergirl she is, explained the meaning of all sorts of different flowers to the confused ninja. Yuffie didn't understand half the words she said (what did contemplation and unrequited love mean?), but she shrugged it off. When Aerith finished talking, Yuffie pointed at a red flower that stood out of all the pink, white and yellow flowers.

"Aerith, what flower is that?" Yuffie asked.

"That's a rose."

"And what's the meaning of it?" The brunette saw a certain spiky-haired blonde from afar and smiled.

"Love."

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><p>Man, my drabbles are too short. I need to make longer ones! Dx Cookie to anyone who reviews! :)<p> 


	3. Ninja

Aww, thanks for the reviews, everyone. :)

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><p><em><strong>Radiant Memories<strong>_

_~Three~_

**N i n j a**

Yuffie Kisaragi, the so-called ninja of Radiant Garden, was munching on some sea salt ice cream as well as everyone else, except for Leon. The tall brunet was off brooding or something, not that Yuffie really cared.

The raven-haired girl took the last bite of her frozen treat, patting her stomach in satisfaction. However, a small grumbling noise resounded from it, causing her to frown. She needed more ice cream. Right now. She dug her hands in her pockets, pouting at the single munny she carried. She then looked around the room; Aerith had just finished it, Merlin threw his stick away, Leon was obviously not there, neither was Tifa or Cloud. She then shifted her gaze to the corner of the room. There, in front of the computer, was Cid. His blue ice cream was left untouched.

"OHOHOHOHO. I betcha I can get his ice cream." she grinned evilly.

Yuffie tip-toed quietly towards the blonde, accidentally tripping over a book. On the floor, she picked up the wretched item that nearly killed her.

**Winnie the Pooh**

Oh-kay. How did this end up _here_?

"Cid? Do you know whe-" Aerith began, though she stopped when Yuffie brought her finger to her lips.

"Know what?" the blonde asked, twisting around. The ninja tumbled over to the opposite side of where he was facing.

"Um, the..ninja- Uh, _sprinkler_ is?" she asked.

"Hey, you're the flowergirl here, shouldn't _you_ know where it is?" he twisted back to his previous spot, typing a code into his computer. He reached for his snack, lifting up an eyebrow when he didn't feel the brick-like shape and the coldness. A burp resounded from behind him, causing him to turn around automatically.

There, was a raven-haired girl who held a stick in one hand, smiling.

"Hey, lookie! It says 'WINNER'!"

"_YUFFIE!_"

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><p>This was fun to write, haha! Any pairing requests for the next chapter?<p>

Please review! :D


	4. Baby

Hello again. :) Well, I just read a story by DestinyCrusader about Lea, so he's gonna be in this drabble, ohoho. Thank you so much for the reviews, by the way!

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><p><strong><em>Radiant Memories<em>**

_~Four~_

**B a b y**

"There! Done!" a spiky redhead beamed, admiring his work. On a piece of paper read the words, "Kick Me!"

"You're not really going to make Sora do this, are you?" a blue-haired teen asked.

"Psh, yeah I am."

"Lea, he's only what- four?"

"Yeah, well, he has to stop being such a goody-goody all the time. Go get him already, Isa!"

His blue-haired friend left to go get the innocent little kid, who was currently playing with his best friend, Riku. They were playing with toy swords, as always. Isa stopped them in the middle of their fight and asked Sora to come with him, in which the little boy nodded. The brunet said bye to Riku and left with the older boy, curiosity filling up his body.

"Sora!" Lea exclaimed when the two finally reached their destination.

"Oh, I know you! You're..uh, _Leah_!" Lea twitched as Isa chuckled.

"It's _Lea_. Get it memorized." he pointed a finger to his face. "Anyways, I need you to do something for me. Something only big boys could do!" Sora's eyes sparkled.

"Really?" the redhead nodded, holding up the sheet of paper.

"You see this? All you gotta do i-"

"What are you three doing?" a voice asked, causing the three to turn around.

"Leon? What are you doing here?" Isa asked. The man pointed over to a little girl with short black hair.

"Babysitting."

"Heh, well, don't mind us, we're just playing a game." Lea chuckled nervously. Leon didn't believe him one bit, but shook it off and left. He didn't have time for this.

"As I was saying, you see that girl over there?" Lea pointed at a blonde girl. "Her name's Arlene. Me and Isa hate her. So, all you gotta do is-"

"Don't make him do that! She's- she's savage!" Isa yelled.

"Don't listen to Sailor Moon over there, Sora." Isa facepalmed at the name. "Just stick this note on her back."

"But..I never did this before. What if my mom gets mad at me?"

"Ah, don't be such a baby. Go do it!"

Sora nodded, grabbed the note and approched the blonde. Lea was cracking up as Isa watched worriedly. The little brunet slowly stuck the note on her back, though Arlene turned around quickly after the sudden touch. She reached for her back and grabbed the note, scanning it. She glared daggers at the little boy, then realized that he was still really young. He couldn't have done this..could he?

"Hey, squirt. Who told you to do this?" she asked, holding the note up.

"Lea did!" he answered, pointing at an alley. Arlene approached the hiding spot and growled at the redhead, who smiled nervously.

"Um..hey, Arlene."

Lea soon fell to the ground groaning after Arlene made a swift kick between his legs.


	5. Eyes

Sorry for the late update, guys. :( Well, there's school and I have an ongoing story, so this challenge will be updated late sometimes. Sorry!

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><p><strong><em>Radiant Memories<em>**

_~Four~_

**E y e s**

Aerith wiped the sweat from her forehead, admiring her hard work. She had just finished planting a bunch of daffodils, carnations and forget-me-nots next to the flowers she planted yesterday. It took her about an hour or so to plant them, but it was a time well spent, considering it was something she loved to do. The calm brunette then knelt down to smell the sweet odor of the flowers, smiling to herself.

"I can see you still love flowers." Aerith let out a small "Eek!" before turning around. There, stood a man with spiky black hair, smiling.

"Um, do I know you..?" Aerith asked politely. The man's smile disappeared in an instant when she said those words.

"You..don't remember me?" he asked, approaching her. Aerith remained silent, not wanting to sound mean or anything. "Aw, man! I can't believe this."

Feeling guilty, she gave him an apologetic look and examined his features. He was a few inches taller than her, with gravity-defying black hair and striking blue..eyes. A blurry memory then travelled through her mind.

_"So pretty.." she said._

_"The face?" he joked, pointing a finger to his face._

_"The eyes!"_

_"You like them? Then take a closer look." he walked over to her. "Eyes infused with mako energy. A SOLDIER trademark." they stared into each other's eyes for a brief moment._

_"Oh, stop it!"_

"Zack..?" she said, uncertain. The raven-haired man looked at her, grinning from ear to ear.

"You do remember! Geez, you had me worried for a se.." he began, though was cut off when the brunette wrapped her arms around him.

"It's so good to see you again," she whispered before letting go. "So, what brings you here?"

"Well, uh," he scratched his head, blushing. "I'm gonna be leaving for a few days. I thought I'd stop by to see you one last time."

Aerith couldn't help but smile and turned away to admire her flowers once more.

"You like them?" she asked. Zack nodded.

"After our date, I've had more respect for the flowers."

"That's good."

Silence.

"So, I guess..I'll be going now," he said. "Oh! And just in case you forget me again.." Zack kneeled down and picked out a forget-me-not. He then handed the beautiful flower to Aerith.

"I won't forget you again, Zack," she said, smiling. "I promise."


	6. Mischief

Thanks for the reviews, they mean so much! *hearts* :)

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><p><em><strong>Radiant Memories<strong>_

_~Six~_

**M i s c h i e f**

"Squallie~!" Yuffie sang, running up to him. "Guess what?"

"What? And it's Leon." he said in a monotone.

"I am," she paused dramatically. "Bored. Let's play a game."

"No. I don't have time to deal with your childish antics or whatever."

"Come on, let's play, um, tag! You're it!" she poked his shoulder swiftly before running off. Sighing in annoyance, Leon stood calmly, not moving a single muscle. The raven-haired girl walked back to her previous spot, pouting.

"Awe, you're no fun." Crossing her arms, she walked away from the tall brunet and upstairs to her room. She walked around in circles, trying to find something that would keep her occupied for at least thirty minutes or so. And then it hit her.

Prank Squall.

Grinning evilly, the ninja picked up a few items: shaving cream, balloons, tape and other random things she could find.

Prank one: water balloons.

Assuming that Squ- _Leon_ was in the washroom, Yuffie pulled out her over-sized balloon which was filled with ice cold water. She stuck it above the door, so when he would open it..She laughed evilly, running off to the kitchen where her next prank would be held.

Prank two; whip, cough-shaving-cough, cream.

The dark-haired girl pulled out the whip cream from the fridge. Squall loved whip cream. He would cover his strawberries in cream, make a mountain of it on his ice cream, heck he could finish five cans in one day. He was so addicted to it..it was scary.

Once again, assuming that he would eat some later on, she popped the can's top off and finished off the rest. She then dumped the shaving cream in it and examined her work. You couldn't tell the difference.

Prank three: gel.

To keep his hair perfectly spiky at the ends, Squall uses a bunch of hair gel. Well, not as much as Sora or Cloud, but still.

Yuffie grabbed the bottle that rested on the counter (what was it doing there anyway?) and twisted the lid off. Once she removed the gel and placed it in another bottle, she poured the super glue into it, trying her best not to burst out in laughter. When she was done, the ninja twisted the top back on and ran off, waiting for her victim to fall into her traps.

On one side of the house, the washroom to be precise, a loud 'SPLASH!' and a shriek was heard. A few minutes later, in the kitchen, the sound of spitting and cursing resounded from it and lastly, a 'WHAT THE HECK?' echoed loudly in the dining hall. Yuffie rolled on the floor, laughing hysterically. Squall actually fell for it!

"I'm back." a deep voice said. Yuffie immediately stopped laughing and her eyes widened. Oh. Crap. She turned around and gasped.

"Squall? Weren't you in the dining hall right now?" she asked.

"For the millionth time, it's Leon." he said. "And I was at the bailey. Why?"

"_YUFFIE!_" three voices yelled at the same time. A drenched Aerith with only a towel on glared angrily at her, a Cid with white cream all over his cheeks and lips had his fists clenched and a twitching Cloud with his hand stuck in his hair glared daggers at her.

"Oops."

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><p>..I could so imagine that happening, LOL. Please review! :D<p> 


	7. Cry

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Seven~_

**C r y**

"CLOUDIE!" Tifa yelled as she ran into the blonde's arms, nearly making him fall over.

"Tifa..?" he gave her a worried look. "What happened? Are you oka-"

"I've missed you so much! Why did you have to leave?" Tears cascaded down her pale face as she hugged him tighter. The man looked at her in confusion.

"Teef.. I was only gone for two hours.."

"Two hours! It felt more like an _eternity_!"

Not knowing what to do, all Cloud did was pat her back awkwardly. When she released him from her bone-crushing hug, he looked down at the brunette, who was currently wiping the tears off of her face.

"So, you wanna go-" A look of annoyance and anger appeared on the woman's face.

"YOU IDIOT!" she suddenly yelled. "HERE I AM, CRYING OVER YOU AND YOU DON'T EVEN APOLOGIZE!" she said, thowing a punch at Cloud, in which he dodged by just a centimeter. She sent more punches, then decided to add in a few kicks.

"What the? She was just crying a minute ago!" Cloud thought to himself, dodging another kick from the violent girl.

"C-CALM DOWN! I'm sorry, geez!" Tifa dropped her foot as a smile spread across her face.

"Okay, I forgive you!" she exclaimed, giggling. "Ahem. I'm hungry. Go buy me some Cocoa Puffs and some sea salt ice cream."

"What's your problem?" he asked, irritated by her sudden change of moods. "What are you, bi-polar?"

"I-I'm not bi-polar." she frowned, sniffing.

"No! Don't cry! I'll get you your Cocoa Puffs and your ice cream." he said, running off.

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><p>"Hey, Aerith? Where'd you want me to put the.." Cid trailed off. "Cloud? What're ya doing in here?" Cloud Strife was currently in Aerith's cart that held all her flower seeds, sprinklers, shovels and such.<p>

"Did I forget Tifa's birthday or something?" the spiky blonde asked.

"No.. why?"

"Because.. I'm kind of scared."

A few meters away, Tifa was looking all over the place screaming, "CLOUD! WHERE ARE MY COCOA PUFFS?"

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><p>Based on a true story, LOL. Thanks for the reviews! ^^<p> 


	8. Pain In The

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Eight~_

**P a i n I n T h e . . .**

"Squallie-poo~!" Yuffie sang. The brunet twitched at the nickname.

"Don't call me Squallie-poo," he said in annoyance. "What do you want now?" The ninja took out her shurikens and threw five in Leon's direction. He dodged the attack, knowing exactly what she was about to say.

"Let's fight!" the raven-haired girl said, pulling out other weapons.

"No." Leon said in a monotone, crossing his arms. This made Yuffie drop everything she held in her hands.

"What?" she said, waving her arms in the air dramatically. "Why not?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"Because I don't feel like it."

"Why?"

"Because I had a bad day."

"Why?"

"Because.. that's how life is."

"Why?"

"Can you stop that?" he asked, massaging his temples. "Geez, you're giving me a headache. You can be _such_ a pain in the ass sometimes." the black-haired girl pouted.

"Come on, Squall.. Please? I need to train!"

"Why bother? The Heartless are gone, anyway."

"What if they come back? I wanna be prepared!"

"Go train by yourself."

"Damn it, Squall! _You're_ the one who's a pain in the ass!" The Great Ninja Yuffie ran off, probably to go find Aerith to tell her how mean 'Squallie' is.

Feeling guilty for what just happened, the brunet sighed and walked around the little town, trying to find that trouble-making ninja. He went to the bailey, to Merlin's house, everywhere. However, she was nowhere to be seen.

He was about to give up, until he saw a black dot in the distance. He approached it and luckily, it was the one he was looking for.

"What are _you _doing here?" Yuffie muttered. Leon pulled out his gunblade and went into a fighting stance.

"You wanted to fight, didn't you?" the girl's scowl instantly turned into a huge grin, somewhat like the Cheshire Cat's. She took out some kunais and placed them in the spaces between her fingers.

"Get ready, Leon! I won't take it easy on you!"

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><p>Sorry for the late update again! And thanks for the reviews! :D<p> 


	9. Happiness

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Nine~_

**H a p p i n e s s**

"Squall! Squall!" Yuffie exclaimed excitedly as she ran up to him. "Guess what?"

"You're bored." Leon said in a monotone, not even bothering to tell her to call him 'Leon'.

"Not this time!" she giggled, then smiled from ear to ear. "Cody asked me out!"

"Cody..? Isn't he the guy you met in Traverse Town?" Leon gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to punch the wall behind him. The ninja nodded as a pink blush appeared on her soft cheeks.

"We have a date tonight!"

Unable to take it anymore, the brunet looked into her chocolate eyes and took one step forward.

"Yuffie, I.." he began nervously. Could it be? The brave Squall Leonhart was afraid to admit his feelings to the oh-so-great ninja Yuffie? "I.. I, um, I wanted to tell you something really important.."

"What is it, Squallie?" Leon twitched at the nickname, then shook it off.

"I-I.. Yuffie, I.. really.." he sighed. "Forget it."

"Okiedokie then!" the raven-haired girl said before running up to her room.

Cursing to himself, Leon walked out of the house. He inhaled the fresh air, making his way to the bailey.

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><p><em>Ding dong!<em>

Aerith opened the door to find a smiling black-haired boy around the age of seventeen holding a bouquet of white roses.

"Oh! You must be Cody!" she exclaimed.

"That's me." he simply said.

"Come on in, I'll go get Yuffie." Aerith said as she closed the door behind him. She ran up the stairs excitedly, right when Leon entered the room.

"So, you're Cody, right?" the brunet asked, approaching the boy.

"U-Um, yeah." Cody replied, sensing the anger in his voice.

"Let me just get _one_ thing clear," Leon said as he glared at the teen before him. "Don't you hurt her. You understand? Because if you do, I'm gonna shove my gunblade so far u-"

"Cody!" a crystal-like voice exclaimed. Yuffie walked down the stairs wearing a spaghetti-strapped green dress that went up to her knees, showing off her creamy legs. She ran to her date's side with the biggest smile on her face.

"H-Hey, Yuffie!" the black-haired boy stuttered, handing her the bouquet of flowers.

"Hi! Um, do you mind waiting for me outside?" she asked as Cody nodded.

"Hey, Squallie?" Yuffie asked once the door closed.

"Yeah?"

"I'm nervous." she said, biting her bottom lip.

"Since when was the great ninja Yuffie nervous?"

"It's my first date. Do I look okay?"

"Don't worry, Yuffie. You.. You look.. beautiful." she smiled, wrapping her arms around him.

"Thanks, Squallie." _It's Leon_, he mentally added.

"Y-Yuffie?" she released him and looked up at the tall man.

"Yup?"

"I.. I-I, um, I really l.." he sighed. "I'm really happy for you."

Even if he wasn't able to tell how he felt, she was happy.

And that was the only thing that mattered.

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><p>Blechh, not the best drabble. Dx Please review!<p> 


	10. Promise

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Ten~_

**P r o m i s e**

_A brown-haired boy and a raven-haired girl with a caramel-colored streak were sitting under a tree, admiring the purple-ish pink sky above them. They spent the whole day together, eating ice cream and playing childish games such as tag and hide and seek._

_"Squall?" the little girl said all of a sudden._

_"Yeah?" the boy said._

_"Are you really leaving?" Squall nodded._

_"Don't worry, though. I'll be back."_

_"I know you will, but be careful," she said, pointing a finger at him. "Oh, that reminds me.. I made you something."_

_"You didn't have to-"_

_"I.. I wanted to." she reached into her pocket and pulled out a poorly made star-shaped trinket. She handed him the object carefully as if it was extremely fragile. "I know it doesn't look that good.. but it's the thought that counts, right?" she smiled._

_Squall admired the charm that rested on his palm. his lips curving into a small smile._

_"Thank you.."_

_"Promise you'll always keep it with you?"_

_"I promise."_

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><p>As he recalled that memory, Leon took out the star-shaped charm and held it in his hand, refusing to let the single tear run down his face.<p>

"Rinoa.."

"Hey, isn't that a little girly for you to be bringing?" Yuffie asked, holding up an object made out of thalassa shells.

"Kairi gave it to me. I promised I'd bring it back to her." Sora said as a pink blush appeared on his cheeks.

"That's so sweet! Don't you agree, Leon?" Aerith smiled. Leon shoved the object back into his pocket before anyone can see.

"Yeah.."

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><p>I always pictured Rinoa giving a good luck charm to Leon, so.. yeah. x3<p>

Oh, and I'm pretty sure it's 'brunet' for guys.. Correct me if I'm wrong? xD

Please click Mr. Review Button!


	11. Yours

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Eleven~_

**Y o u r s**

"NOOO! CID, YOU MEANIE!" Yuffie cried, waving her arms around dramatically.

"What'd I do?" the aforementioned blonde asked in annoyance, twisting his chair around.

"You.. You took the last piece of apple pie!" she sobbed exaggeratedly as the blonde rolled his eyes.

"No need to freak out over pie. There's still some blueberry pie left, dumbass."

"I don't like blueberry pie! And you know that, you poopface!"

"Well, too bad. This baby's mine." He was about to take a bite out of the delicious dessert Aerith had made, though a hand slapped the fork out of his hands.

"NO! My pie!" the ninja grabbed the plate.

"That ain't fair! Give it back!" he grabbed the other end of the plate, and thus began the game of tug-of-war.. except with a plate instead of a rope.

The two argued like five-year-olds for the past fifteen minutes and Yuffie grew highly impatient. She started screaming, grabbing the attention of many people in the little house, as Cid grew more irrited each passing second.

"Just.. let.. go already..!" the raven-haired girl said, pulling the plate with all her might. However, she slipped over something- a book, perhaps- and the dish flew up in the air. The golden-haired man tried to catch it, but missed by just an inch. The plate shattered into tiny pieces and the pie was now splattered across the floor.

An awkward silence followed.

"Um.. actually.. you can have it. It's all yours." Yuffie said, running out of the room.

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><p>LOL, that was fun to write. xD I was gonna make this chapter a fluffy ZackAerith.. but then my friend and I somehow started talking about pie and I became inspired. :D

Please review!


	12. Loss

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Twelve~_

**L o s s**

It was a rather gloomy afternoon in Radiant Garden.

The sky was filled with dark gray clouds and the raindrops fell endlessly.

Shielding himself from the water that continuously fell upon him, a raven-haired man was trying to find a familiar house in the little town. When he finally did, he knocked on the wooden door, impatiently waiting for someone to open it already. Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal a black-haired girl wrapped up in a blanket with an ice pack balanced on her head.

She sneezed. "Oh, hey Zack." the ninja said, sniffing. "You here for Aerith?"

He nodded. "Yeah, mind if I come in?"

Yuffie let the man in the small, yet cozy house. She closed the door behind him before walking over to the couch to lie down.

"Squallie.. I feel like someone's hitting my head with a hammer." she said, holding the sides of head.

"I_ told_ you not to play in the rain." Leon said, sighing. He poured some liquid into a spoon and brought it up to the girl's mouth. "Say 'ahh'."

"Ahh!" she opened her mouth, letting the disgusting medecin enter. Once she swallowed it, she chugged down a whole bottle of water. "Ew, that tasted gross!" Zack chuckled and walked into the kitchen, to find Aerith cooking something.

He grinned and walked quietly behind her, trying not to make the slightest sound possible. When he was inches away from her, he took a deep breath and..

"Don't.. even." Aerith said sternly. "Cid, it's ver-"

"Cid?" the brunette's eyes widened as she turned around. Her shocked expression immediately turned into one of happiness.

"Zack!" she exclaimed with glee. "It's so good to see you again! What are you doing here?"

"I.. um, I just wanted to see you one last time."

"One last ti- Oh," she frowned. "You're leaving again?"

"Yeah, they said something about a threat of some sort." a spiky raven-haired man scratched the back of his head. "But, don't worry. I'll be ba-"

"I know you will. But.. this time.. I'm coming with you." he sighed. He knew she was going to say that.

"No.. I won't let you."

"And why not? Zack, I promise I won't be the damsel in distress or do anything that would get in the way of your mission, but please.. let me come this once."

"Aerith, please don't make this hard on me. I can't bring you with me."

"And why not? Is it because I'm not as strong as Tifa? I'm useless, is that it?" she scowled.

"I never said that-"

She raised her voice. "Then _why_?"

"Because I don't want to lose you!" he shouted, avoiding eye contact. "I don't.."

All of a sudden, he felt Aerith's soft arms wrap around his neck. "I don't want to lose you, either. Promise you'll come back?"

"Promise." he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "By the way.. the food's burnt."

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><p>Wow. What a stupid ending, LOL.<p>

Next drabble is Cloud/Tifa, cause I just came to realize that I've only written about them.. once. -.-

Review? :)


	13. Brooding

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Thirteen~_

**B r o o d i n g**

Cloud Strife was currently in the bailey, his back on the wall and his arms crossed over his chest. The man was cursing under his breath and blaming himself for letting the Heartless get away. They caused more damage to the nearly-destroyed Hollow Bastion and Aerith got injured. The cuts and bruises weren't severe, in fact, they would heal in about four days. However, the blonde can't help but think that it was all his fault.

"Heh, knew I'd find you here." a soft voice said. Cloud turned his head to see who's voice it belonged to, only to find his best friend, Tifa. The raven-haired woman walked next to him and placed her back against the wall as well. "What are you doing here? Everyone's in Merlin's house trying to bake a 'get well soon' cake for Aerith."

"It's all my fault." the blonde said in a guilty voice. "I wasn't fast enough. Aerith got hurt because of me."

"Didn't you hear? She'll be fine," she assured. "And it's not your fault."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not. These Heartless were-"

"Tifa, whatever you do or say won't make me feel any better." he sighed heavily. "It's all my fault. And you know that."

She shrugged. "Okay, fine."

An uncomfortable silence took over. While Tifa closed her eyes in deep thought, Cloud was staring at the ground, taking a few glances at the woman next to him. She looked so peaceful.

"Hey, Cloud.." she said all of a sudden. "Remember.. that music box you gave me.. when we were younger?"

He nodded. "What about it?"

"I remember the melody.. but what were the lyrics again?"

She expected, him, _the_ Cloud Strife to.. _sing?_

"You want me to sing it?" he stared at her as if she grew a second head.

"Yeah, why not?" he huffed.

"Fine," the spiky blonde cleared his throat. How embarassing. "When you walk away, you don't hear me say.."

And soon enough, the two found themselves singing together in perfect harmony.

"Nothing's like before." Cloud's lips curved into a small smile after the last note.

"So.. how do you feel?" Tifa asked, grinning.

"I feel much better. Thanks, Teef."

"Oh, really? Because I thought you said that _whatever I do or say won't make you feel any better?_"

* * *

><p>Thanks for the reviews! ^^<p>

My winter break starts next week, so I'll try to update faster.

Happy Holidays! :)


	14. Insomnia

**_Radiant Memories_**

_~Fourteen~_

**I n s o m n i a**

A certain raven-haired ninja emerged from the yellow blanket wrapped around her body. Her tired eyes scanned the room she was currently in. Her kunais and shurikens rested on her side table, her dirty clothes were littered across the floor, pictures of her and her friends were taped on the wall..

When she grew bored of looking around, Yuffie looked up and stared blankly at the ceiling, seemingly trying to find a pattern or an image. Even though the ceiling was just plain and flat, she could've sworn she saw a Moogle, or even a-

"Yuffie?" a tired voice asked as the door creaked open, allowing some light to enter the room. The ninja winced at the sudden change of illumination and sat upright.

"Squall?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. The brunet sighed in annoyance.

"It's Leon." he told her for the umpteenth time. "I woke up by the sound of you twisting and turning. I thought I'd check on you." Leon always was a light sleeper.

"Really? I- um, sorry." she apologized. "I can't sleep."

"Did you have a bad dream? Do you want me to get you anything?" he asked, yawning. The black-haired girl shook her head, smiling.

"Nope." was her simple reply. She turned her head to the side and checked the clock that resided on her side table. Two thirty six am. Woah, was it really that late?

An awkward silence filled the air.

Yuffie's head made contact with her white pillow once more. She smiled, closing her eyes.

"So.. um, try to- Yuffie?" Leon was then interrupted by the sound of soft breathing and light snores here and there. The tall man sighed, closed the door and headed back to his room. He crawled into his nice, warm bed slowly and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take over.

His eyelids shot open immediately.

Great.

Now _he_ couldn't sleep.


	15. Awkward

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Fifteen~_

**A w k w a r d**

"Well, well, well.. what do we have here?" Zack Fair smirked. "The flowergirl isn't planting flowers for once."

Aerith Gainsborough was currently relaxing on the green grass, watching the clouds in the sapphire sky while eating some sea salt ice cream. She, along with Yuffie and Cloud, were able to finish planting many colorful flowers in certain areas that seemed gloomy and well.. boring. Thanks to the flowers, the streets of Radiant Garden appeared more lively now.

She giggled. "How shocking," the brunette took a bite of her blue ice cream. "So, are you leaving again?"

"What makes you think I'm leaving?" he pouted. "You know, if you wanted me to leave.. you could-"

"No, no! It's just that you usually come by just to say goodbye."

He chuckled. "True. But I'm not going anywhere. Just wanted to visit some people like you, Cloud and.." he trailed off when the frozen treat the woman held in her hand caught his attention. "What're you eating?"

"It's sea salt ice cream."

"Sea salt ice cream? Salty ice cream? Does it taste good?"

She nodded. "Very. I've been wanting to eat this for quite some time now."

"Mind if I try?" he knealt down so that their faces would be leveled. Aerith, who wasn't very fond of the idea, shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm not comfortable with sharing food or dri-"

"Come on, just one bite!" he inched closer to her, trying to get a bite of her ice cream.

"Zack, I said no!" she exclaimed, moving her right hand further and further away so that he wouldn't be able to reach it. However, the charcoal-haired man was determined. He leaned forward, ignoring how awkward it felt having his body against Aerith's.

"Pleeease, just one tiny li- woah!" he, somehow, lost balance and found himself falling forward, his lips touching her soft ones. Their eyes widened in shock and, unfortunately for Zack, the pink-clad woman dropped her ice cream. Both blushing beet red, they slowly broke apart while avoiding eye contact; presumably trying not to make the situation more awkward than it already was.

"I.. um," he coughed. "I guess I'll.. be o-on my way now."

"Oh, of course.." he stood up and walked away as she watched his figure become smaller at every step he took. She turned her head to glare at her fallen ice cream for creating such an awkward atmosphere between them, though it slowly vanished and she allowed her lips to curve into a small smile.

That ice cream was also the reason for that kiss.

* * *

><p>How Aerith managed to get Cloud to work is beyond me, LOL. Thank you all very much for the reviews! :D<p>

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)**


	16. Princess

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Sixteen~_

**P r i n c e s s**

A seven-year-old Squall Leonhart was sitting on the soft couch that belonged to Rinoa Heartilly. He came over to her house that day because she said that she needed his advice on an outfit she wanted to wear to impress some boy she liked. He frowned and felt his stomach twirl when she told him that for the first time, but he wanted her to be happy. She was his best friend after all.

However, he didn't quite understand why she decided to ask for his opinion when she could ask her girl friends; they had way more knowledge on fashion than he did.

"So.. Rinoa. What's the name of the boy you like?" the brunet asked, receiving a giggle from the other side of the bathroom door.

"I'm not telling, Squall! It's a secret."

"Why not?" he huffed. "I'm your best friend!"

"I know, but.. I'm not ready to tell you yet!"

"Okay.." he sighed. "I just wanted to now.. Why did you ask for my opinion when you could ask your girl friends?"

There was a moment of silence. "Because.. I li.. yours is the most important!"

"Oh. Well, are you done yet?" The little girl sighed in relief, thanking the stars that her friend didn't realize what she almost said.

"Almost," she replied. "I'm just trying to- There! Done!"

The bathroom door swung open to reveal the ebony-haired girl. Squall's eyes widened. Rinoa's choice of attire was.. horrible, to be honest. The colors clashed together, her shirt was one size too big for her and she was wearing knee-high socks with.. _sandals?_

"How do I look?"

Anyone would think she looked bad, maybe even horrible.

But not to Squall.

No matter what she wore, she looked beautiful in his eyes.

But how would he say it?

He heard his dad call his mom beautiful before and she would smile happily and plant a kiss on his cheek. Well, calling a girl beautiful at the young age of seven automatically meant that you liked her. And he didn't want her to know that.. yet.

So, what would he tell her? She looked.. fine? Nice? No, those words were too plain and boring. He needed to find the perfect word; something that described her well. Girls often liked to pretend that they were..?

And then it hit him.

"Squall? Did you hear what I said? How do I look? Do I look ugly?" she frowned, believing that was the cause of his slow reply.

He shook his head. "You don't look ugly, Rinoa. You look.. like a princess."

* * *

><p>Last drabble of 2011! Man, time flies. :(<p>

I don't know about you guys, but when I was about eight years old, a guy called me pretty. Everyone automatically assumed that he liked me, so I threw that in there. xD

**HAPPY NEW YEAR (AGAIN) ! :)**


	17. Fairytale

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Seventeen~_

**F a i r y t a l e**

"Squall?" a five-year-old girl with black hair asked, entering the living room.

"Yuffie?" he asked, approaching her. "Is there something wrong?"

"I had a bad dream." she said, the tears about to cascade down her chubby cheeks.

"Don't worry. It was just a dream," he said reassuringly. "What was it about?"

"There.. w-were monsters in my closet."

"I thought the Great Ninja Yuffie Kisaragi wasn't afraid of anything," he chuckled, though stopped once he realized what he just said. It wasn't the time to make jokes right now. "Um.. come on. I'll tuck you into bed again."

The two walked up the stairs and the brunet tucked her into her warm, comfy bed.

"Like I said before, there aren't any monsters. Good night, Yuffie." he said, about to leave the room.

"No! Don't leave! I'm still scared.." she sniffled. Squall sighed.

"Fine, fine," he said as he sat on her bed. "What do you want to do?" the little ninja reached for the book that rested on her side table.

"Read me a story, please?" Sighing, the teen obeyed, grabbing the storybook out of her hands.

"Once upon a time, there lived a little girl named.." he trailed off. Cinderella's name was crossed out and 'Yuffie' was poorly written above it. "..Yuffie."

"I wrote that!" she giggled, sinking deeper into her covers. With Squall by her side, she felt much safer.

"I see. Anyways, she lived with her father.. Cloud and they were very happy. One day, he married a woman named.. Tifa, who was cruel and selfish. This woman had two spoiled daughters, Arlene and.. Cid.

"A few months later, Cloud grew very ill. He soon passed away and Tifa rejoiced; she now possessed all his riches. You want me to keep going?" the little girl nodded.

"Many years had passed and Yuffie became more and more beautiful each passing day. Jealous of her beauty and kindness, her step-mother made her sleep in the attic and forced her to do all the housework. Yuffie obeyed her, not having enough courage to stand up for herself.

"One fine day, while scrubbing the floors, someone rang the doorbell. The maiden opened the door, to reveal a short man with a tired expression on his face. He handed her an invitation to the royal ball that evening in which she happily took."

"Keep going, please." the black-haired girl yawned.

"Yuffie went upstairs and told her 'family' about it. Tifa immediately ordered her to make the dresses and the kind girl obeyed. She spent many hours making the dresses, but when the clock struck eight, her step-mothers and step-sisters left the house.

"Upset, Cinderella," Oops, looks like she missed one. "I mean, Yuffie, ran out into the garden and burst into tears. Suddenly, a bright light appeared as well as her fairy godmother.. Aerith. The fairy turned a pumpkin into a carriage, mice into horses and gave her a beautiful dress. Aerith explained that the spell would be broken by midnight and so, Yuffie left and disappeared into the night.

"At the ball, the prince.. SQUALL?" he yelled as the girl before him grinned. He cleared his throat and continued the fairytale. "The prince Squall was looking for a bride, though none of the maidens he had danced with interested him. He was about to leave, until someone caught his eye. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He approached the mysterious girl, who was in fact, Yuffie, and asked her to dance, in which she accepted. The.." he stopped when he heard steady breathing. He looked up from the book to see a sleeping Yuffie with a smile on her face.

He placed the book back on her side table and smiled. "Good night, Yuf."


	18. Smile

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Eighteen~_

**S m i l e**

A raven-haired girl burst through the wooden door of the little house, tears rolling down her pale face.

"Yuffie?" Leon asked with a tiny pinch of worry in his voice. "What happened?"

"Cody.. he.. broke up with me.." she sobbed as she ran to her room, slamming the door behind her.

The brunet's worried expression soon disappeared, only to be replaced by a look of rage and hatred. He _specifically_ told that jerk not to hurt her. Oh, he is _so_ going to get it.

But now isn't the time.

Leon walked up to the ninja's bedroom door and knocked on it three times. No answer. All he heard were silent whispers and sobbing.

"Yuffie, I'm coming in.." he said, slowly opening the door. Pictures of Cody and Yuffie were ripped in half and scattered across the floor, her ex's red hoodie that she loved so much now had a hole on it thanks to her kunais and her whole room was a mess. Yuffie herself looked like a mess as well.

"S-Squall?" she sniffed, looking up from her white pillow, which was wet due to her tears. Leon restrained himself from saying 'It's Leon'.

"Hey," he said as he sat on the edge of her bed. A short moment of silence followed suit. "You know.. it doesn't seem right at all."

"W-What do you m-mean?"

"I've never seen you cry before.." he frowned. "You always smiled."

"W-What does this h-have to do with anything?" she asked, not in a rude manner. "You.. always h-hated m-my smiles."

She was right. He hated her smiles.

She would smile even when she lost a fight, making her seem like she was the winner of everything. She would smile when she got hurt, heck, she would even laugh when they were in a tough situation. She always said that things would turn out all right in the end.

They irritated him to the max where sometimes, he would just explode at her, then curse himself for doing so.

"It's true," he admitted. "But.. to tell you the truth.. you look your best when you smile."

A look of shock washed over Yuffie's face. "I.. I do? Do y-you really mean it?" he nodded.

The black-haired girl wrapped her arms around him, surprising him so much that he almost fell off her bed.

"Thank you.." she whispered sincerely.

Happy to see her smiling again, Leon allowed his lips to curve into a smile as he hugged her back.

* * *

><p>I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! D':<p>

School was really getting in the way! So much homework.. so many things to study.. my week was so stressful!

(Change of subject) I probably have the awesomest guy friend in the whole world. You guys know that KH:DDD is coming out in March, right?.. HE'S GONNA LEND ME HIS 3DS! *cries tears of joy* He's a huge fan of KH and FF too, but he said that I could play it before him! *cries an ocean*

Thanks for the reviews! They mean so much! :')


	19. Cloud

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Nineteen~_

**C l o u d**

All by himself, Cloud Strife sat on the edge of the cliff that was right past the Crystal Fissure. His index finger traced the bandages on his buster sword as he sighed sadly. He looked down, his sunshine-colored bangs covering his solemn blue eyes.

"Cloud?" the man jumped in surprise.

He turned his head. "Tifa.. don't just sneak up on me, please."

The raven-haired girl giggled and sat next to him. "Sorry."

"It's alright." the blonde replied, turning away from her. The couple sat in silence, Tifa listening to the gentle sighing of the wind and Cloud staring blankly at his buster sword.

"Hey, Cloud," Tifa said, breaking the silence. "You know, you've had your buster sword for a long time already. Didn't you ever think of getting a new one?"

The question made his throat dry up. "No. Nothing can ever replace this sword. Nothing."

"Why not? What's so special about it anyway?"

The golden-haired boy moved the sword closer to his body. "His dreams.. his honors.. they're all mine now.." he whispered, yet still loud enough for the female to hear.

"Who's?"

"He always had a reason to smile. He gave me courage and he protected me against everything. He was my best friend.." he said, picturing a man with spiky black hair and sky blue eyes. "Zack Fair."

* * *

><p>I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! D':<p>

AND I'M SO SORRY FOR THE NOT-SO-GREAT DRABBLE!

This whole month has been so freaking stressful. Damn midterms.

Please forgive me and I'll try my best to update faster! But thank you so much for the reviews/alerts/faves and for still reading this, it means so much. :')


	20. Hero

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Twenty~_

**H e r o**

"Hey, Zack?" a pink-clad brunette asked, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. Another step closer to making Radiant Garden cozy and colorful.

"Yeah?" a raven-haired boy replied, grinning as he succeeded in pulling a dirty weed out of the ground.

"Have you ever had.. a-"

"A girlfriend? Yup! I've had plenty! No one can resist my charms!" he joked.

Aerith frowned. "I wasn't going to say that.."

"Come on, Aerith, it was just a joke," he smiled. "What did you want to say?"

"Have you ever had.. a dream?"

"Of course I have," he said as he felt a lump in his throat. "You?"

The brunette nodded. "My dream is to sell flowers. Have them brighten up someone's day, just being able to do something I love!"

"That's a nice dream."

"And what about yours?"

"My dream is.. to become a hero.." he whispered, allowing his hair to cover his eyes.

"You don't sound very happy or proud about your dream.."

"Nah, it's just.." he eyed his buster sword. "I lost someone very special to me. He taught me so much about dreams, about honor.."

"He isn't gone," Aerith said. "He'll always be watching you."

Nodding, Zack Fair looked up at the clear, blue sky. "I know you're watching me, Angeal! I'll become a hero. Just watch me."

* * *

><p>Man, I gotta stop making these Crisis Core referenceshints. -.- It's just.. IT WAS SUCH A GOOD GAAAAAME.

Thanks for the reviews. :)


	21. Friends

..OH MY GOSH. I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN TWO MONTHS. D: You all probably hate me now. ;A; But because of my long absence, I decided to post two drabbles today. :D I hope they make up for it..

* * *

><p><strong>Radiant Memories<strong>

_~Twenty One~_

**F r i e n d s**

"Okay, Yuffie. You could do this. Just be as quiet as a mouse." a certain raven-haired girl whispered to herself. She took a deep breath and slowly tip-toed towards the exit of the little house, praying that the floor wouldn't make any noise and praying that Cid, who was currently messing around with his computer, wouldn't turn around. Today was Yuffie's turn to wash the dishes, do the laundry and all those other house work. It was originally Aerith's job, but since she was sick, everyone in the house decided to take turns until she was better. However, this boy she met a few weeks ago- what's his face, um, oh yeah- Ren said he wanted to tell her something really important. And that kept her wondering all night.

The sneaky ninja was almost at the door, when..

"And where the hell do you think _you're_ going?" Cid Highwind asked, eyes fixated on the huge computer screen before him.

Crap. "Uh.. nowhere, silly," she laughed nervously. "Just wanted to pick up.. a.. book!"

"You hate reading. And you suck at lying," he typed in a few keys. "You don't wanna do the chores, huh?"

"What? How dare you make me sound so.. so selfish and unresponsible! That isn't the reason why I'm trying to leave the house!"

"I thought you said you just wanted to pick up a book?"

Yuffie blanched. "Okay, fine. Well, you see, Ren wanted to-"

"Leaving the house- and for a boy? What're you gonna do together? Ya know, sixteen is a rather young age to- Ow!" the blonde received a smack on the back of his head before he was able to finish his sentence.

"We are not- Ugh!" she groaned. Then, a light bulb appeared on top of her head. "Hey, ass- Uh, I mean- Cid? We're.. friends.. right?"

"Friends? Are you retarded? Why would I wanna be friends with an annoying, loud-mouthed dumbass like y- Ow!" the girl, once again, hit smacked his head. "I was just kidding. We _are_ friends. Kinda."

"Okay, good. So, as you know, friends do.. nice things for each other other, right? I don't know.. _Cover for them_, maybe.."

"Are you trying to tell me something? Cause I ain't catching up."

Yuffie sighed. "You know what? How about we make a deal: you don't tell anyone I left the house and I'll do the house chores in your place for your next three turns."

"Hm.. next five turns."

"Deal." They shook hands and the charcoal-haired teen ran out of the house in a flash.

Just a few seconds after Yuffie left, Leon entered the room.

"Hey, have you seen Yuffie? She's supposed to do the laundry." the swordsman asked.

"Oh, she left."

* * *

><p>Stupid Cid LOL. Hope you liked it! :)<p> 


	22. Help

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Twenty Two~_

**H e l p**

"NO!" a tall brunet cried as his gunblade got sliced in half by a new species of Heartless. This one was much larger and much stronger than the rest, with its razor-sharp teeth and claws. The Heartless sent a sudden attack and the man tried to jump out of the way to dodge it, but he wasn't fast enough. Squall Leonhart fell to the ground with a 'thud', earning a deep cut across his stomach. He spat out some blood and held his chest, trying to ignore the excrutiating pain.

The beast glared at him with its blood-red eyes, about to send the final blow, when..

"YUFFIE KICK!" a blur hit its target with one swift kick, sending it flying backwards. It got back to its feet, however, but before it was able to react, a brown-haired keyblade wielder attacked several times and in just a matter of seconds, the Heartless was defeated.

Both names 'Squallie' and 'Leon' were said simultaneously as two people were running towards the injured brunet.

Everything was becoming blurry and the air around him suddenly felt really cold. Leon couldn't concentrate on anything but the cut on his chest.

"Squallie! You'll be alright! Don't..!" was the last thing he heard before everything went black.

* * *

><p>The brunet opened his blue eyes and found himself on his warm bed. He tried to sit up, but the pain on his upper body forced him back down. He looked down at his bandaged self, wondering who could have done this. It obviously wasn't Aerith, the bandages were clumsily wrapped; Aerith always made sure they were perfect and properly placed. It couldn't have been Tifa, he rarely ever talked to her. Cloud was out of town, Cid wasn't the type of person to do such a nice gesture and Merlin could've wrapped it flawlessly with the help of his magic. There was only one person left. Could it be..?<p>

"Finally! You're awake!" a voice exclaimed. It belonged to no other than Yuffie Kisaragi. The ninja ran up to the brunet and slapped his face with all her might.

"Ow! What was _that_ for!" Leon screamed angrily, rubbing his red cheek.

"What's your problem!"

"What?"

"You know, _Leon_," he nearly fell off the bed when she said that. "You could've called for help!"

"I didn't need he-"

"_Didn't need help?_ Are you kidding me! You would've _died_ if Sora and I didn't come to the rescue!"

The swordsman remained silent. She was right.

"I'm.. sorry, Yuffie.." he whispered. "I guess I just.. wanted to prove to everyone that.. I was strong.. that I could do everything all by myself.."

"Well, just don't be afraid of asking for any help next time, alright?"

"Sure." he replied. With that, the ninja walked towards the door and right when she was about to close the door, Leon decided he should ask before his curiosity got the best of him.

"Hey, Yuffie?"

"Yeah?"

"Were you the one who bandaged my chest?"

Instead of answering his question, Yuffie swiftly closed the door and ran off, her cheeks a light pink.


	23. Morning

_**Radiant Memories**_

_~Twenty Three~_

**M o r n i n g**

"Are you _crazy!_" a blonde keyblade wielder shrieked.

"Hm, guess I am." a redhead grinned.

"Lea, we almost got killed last time we tried to wake him up!" Ventus exclaimed, flailing his arms in the air, desperately trying to get his friend to change his mind.

"Hey, come on, you gotta admit it; it was freaking hilarious." the prankster replied. "The look on his face..!" he made a goofy face.

"That wasn't how he looked like.."

"Close enough."

"That goofy face you just made looked nothing like that scary, beast-like, m-"

"Ventus, have some fun for once in your life!"

"It's not exactly fun when your life's in danger."

Lea sighed. "If you don't wanna do it, then fine. I'll go do it by myself then." he started walking away, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Fine, I'll come along.." the blonde's friend smiled from ear to ear.

"Yes! Let's go!" the redhead ran off, Ventus following behind. When they reached the victim's house, Lea tried to open the door, but turns out it was locked.

"Locked? Aw, too-" Lea then knealt down, lifted up a carpet that read "Welcome" and picked up a key from under it. "-bad."

"He always loses his house keys. Pfft, and he calls me the unresponsible one."

Once inside the house, the duo tip-toed up the stairs and stood right in front of the victim's bedroom.

"Ven, you got the shaving cream? Toilet paper? Honey? Permanent marker?"

"Check, check, check and check," he answered. "Not only will we wake him up at freaking five in the morning, but we're also gonna destroy his room? Yeah, we're_ so_ dead."

"Sh!"

The two crept into the room, Lea slowly walking towards the bed. He took hold of the blue covers and was slowly pulling it off, until..

"_BOO!_"

Lea and Ventus screamed like little girls. They were backing up, but they slipped on something awfully slippery, sending them flying backwards. When their rear-ends made contact with the floor, a slimy liquid poured over them and the lights went on.

There, in front of them was a laughing Isa with a camera in hand.

"Good morning."


	24. Breakfast

**_Radiant Memories_**

_~Twenty Four~_

**B r e a k f a s t**

"Squallie!" Yuffie exclaimed. Squallie- um, I mean-_ Leon_ was currently sitting in the dining room, waiting for breakfast to be served.

"It's Leon." he replied calmly.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, Aerith is still sick, so guess who's making breakfast, lunch and dinner today?"

The swordsman's eyes widened. "Oh, no.."

"Me!" she exclaimed happily. "Merlin is in Traverse Town.. Cloud and Tifa are nowhere to be seen and Cid.. well, he said he had something very important to do and he'll be back tomorrow.. Guess you and Aerith are the only ones who get to eat my cooking!"

Leon blanched.

Yuffie wasn't the best cook in the world. In fact, she was the _worst_ cook in the world. She couldn't even cook rice properly; if Leon was lucky, he'd still be alive by the end of the day.

"Uh, it's all right, Yuffie," Leon said. "I'll just buy something to save you the trouble-"

"Oh, I'm done cooking! I was just waiting for you to get up," the Wutaian said as she set down a plate of food before the brunet. "Aerith told me you liked pancakes, so.."

"..These are.. pancakes..?" the tall man asked himself.

The breakfast she had prepared for him looked more like she splattered the mixture on the floor, scooped it up and left it on the stove thirty minutes too long on high.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Eat up!" she grinned. However, instead of obeying her, Leon lightly pushed the plate away.

"I'm not hungry."

The ebony-haired girl twitched. "What do you mean you're not hungry?"

"I'm still full from last night."

"You didn't eat _anything_ last night!" As if on cue, the man's stomach grumbled loudly. "I get it.. you don't wanna eat my cooking.."

"To be honest, it's true."

"I spent so much time and effort on it just for you, you jerk!" Angrily, Yuffie picked up the plate and smashed it into his face before storming off.

The plate fell to the floor and shattered into pieces, but the pancakes landed safely onto Leon's lap. The brunet stared at them for a while, deciding on whether he should take a bite or not.

"Well.. she _did_ try her best.."

He picked up a pancake that resided on his lap, ripped off a piece and took a small bite out of it.

"..Not bad."


	25. Hair

It's been eight months.. and I'm only halfway through this challenge. This is very depressing.

Well, FFN became stupid and annoying. Only the last letter of my titles show up. The previous chapter, instead of saying 'Breakfast', it just says 't'. 't'. -.- So.. no more spaces between letters. Dx

LOL anyways, this is the "Prompt of Your Choice" drabble. Hope I used it wisely. xD Yuffie has long hair in here, by the way. Basically, it's the story of why she has short hair. Oh, and thanks for the sweet reviews! They mean sooo muuuch! :D

* * *

><p><em><strong>Radiant Memories<strong>_

_~Twenty Five~_

**Hair**

"Die!" a charcoal-haired ninja yelled as she threw a kunai towards her enemy. The unfamiliar Heartless easily dodged it by teleporting, making the girl groan in annoyance. Yuffie Kisaragi wiped the sweat on her brow, a smirk on her pale face. "Oh, that's how you wanna play, huh?"

And in a puff of smoke, she disappeared.

The Heartless looked around the place nervously, while Yuffie smiled evilly from her hiding spot. She let out a victory cry and threw five shurikens at her enemy's back, confident that she wouldn't miss it. However, the monster wrapped itself in a force field, making the weapons bounce off of it and head towards her. Shocked, the ninja ran off in any direction, just hoping that she would dodge the sudden attack.

SLASH.

Her eyes widened. The heavy weight on her shoulders was no longer there. Half a year's worth of her thick, black hair fell to the ground before a few strands were carried by the wind.

Pure hatred appeared in her eyes. She disappeared once more in a puff of smoke, leaving her opponent confused. Clutching her gigantic shuriken, in which she infused with magic, the short-haired girl jumped out of her hiding place and threw the weapon at it, in which it dodged. However, Yuffie caught the armament, not caring about the blood that appeared on her palm due to the sharp end, and sent it right back. The Heartless ducked as the shuriken flew right over it, but the weapon made a boomerang effect, thus killing it.

Yuffie picked up her weapon and stared at the black hair laying on the ground. Her eyes began to water.

She ran straight home and forcefully opened the door, startling everyone in the household.

"Yuffie? Is that-" Aerith stopped in mid-sentence, shocked to see her friend's new length of hair.

"What's wrong, Aeri.." Leon began, but trailed off as well once he saw the ninja.

The ebony-haired girl ran right past them and into her room, where she plopped onto her bed and touched her hair.

Ever since she was young, Aerith would always brush her hair and tell her how a girl should always take good care of it.

The boy she liked.. he liked girls with long hair.. He was in love with one who had long, black hair with a caramel-colored streak. So, Yuffie thought that if she grew her hair as long as hers, he would like her back.

She laughed sadly. "I'm such an idiot."

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to get used to the shortness of it, when someone knocked on her door.

"Come in.." she said in a sad tone. A brunet entered the door and stood next to the door awkwardly. "Oh.. Leon.."

The man's eyes widened, if only for a second. The only time she ever called him 'Leon' was when she was really angry, disappointed or upset. "Your hair." he said.

"Huh? Oh. It's different, huh?" she faked a smile. "Oh, well. I was gonna cut it anyway."

"You've always loved your long hair.. how could you say that?"

"It doesn't matter." _He would never like me anyway._

"Well.. if it makes you feel any better.." he looked away, avoiding all eye contact. "I like you better with short hair."

"W-What?"

"You look.. cuter." With that, Leon left, leaving a surprised Yuffie behind. She didn't think that the word 'cute' even existed in his vocabulary.

When she regained her senses, she smiled.

_Short hair.. huh?.._


	26. Grumpy

**_Radiant Memories_**

_~Twenty Six~_

**Grumpy**

"What are _you_ so mad about?" a blue-haired girl asked, nudging her brown-haired friend.

Terra scowled. "I'm not mad."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Then, why are you so grumpy?" she crossed her arms over her chest.

The brunet remained silent as Aqua raised an eyebrow.

What could she have possibly done to get him into such a foul mood, she wondered. Terra wasn't normally like this.

"Terra, I'm talking to you."

"It's.. none of your business."

"Aqua!" a spiky-haired blonde suddenly came running into the scene. "Have you seen.." Realizing he came in at a bad time (or so it seemed like a bad time to him), he stopped in his tracks and began to walk back. "I.. Um.. Nevermind. I'll ask Master Eraqus instead."

The tall man huffed as he watched Ventus's figure become smaller and smaller in the distance.

A smirk appeared on the bluenette's face. "Oh, I get it.."

"Get what?" the brunet asked.

"You're jealous.. aren't you?"

"..W-What would I be jealous of?" he mentally slapped himself once he realized he stuttered.

"You saw the kiss on the cheek I gave Ven earlier," Aqua said, trying her hardest not to laugh. "Is that it?"

Terra turned away, trying to hide the faint blush on his cheeks.

"Ha! I knew it!" she exclaimed. "He gave me a flower, it was the least I can do."

Her companion huffed once more. "Hn."

The blue-haired maiden giggled. "It's so easy to make you jealous."

"Oh, so you find this funn-" he was then cut off when Aqua's soft lips came in contact with his cheek.

"There, better?" she asked, laughing as Terra's face became as red as a cherry.

_Much better._

* * *

><p>I'm.. sorry.. D:<p>

Well, I can't blame my late update on anything else, other than my laziness. -.- Please forgive me. ;A;


	27. Gift

Side story of last chapter. :D Thank you thank you thank you thank you so much for over 100 reviews!

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><p><em><strong>Radiant Memories<strong>_

_~Twenty Seven~_

**Gift**

"What's this?" the blue-haired beauty asked, taking the white daisy from her blonde companion's hand.

"..A flower..?" the blonde, Ventus, replied.

Aqua giggled, causing a hint of light pink to appear on her friend's face. "No, I meant it as in 'What's this for?'"

"O-Oh," he chuckled, turning away to hide the visible blush on his face. "Well.. it's your birthday next week.."

"You remembered.." she smiled.

"How could I forget?" he chuckled. "So, I figured I'd get you a gift. I-I know it isn't much, but-"

He was cut off when he felt something touch his cheek. He turned his head to see the bluenette smelling the flower.

"Thank you, Ven. That's really sweet of you."

His face was now as red as a tomato. He tried to hide it by turning away, and looking at the ground, but his attempts were in vain. Aqua giggled at the scene.

"N-N-No problem." he stuttered.

* * *

><p>"What are <em>you<em> so mad about?"

"I'm not mad."


	28. Wish

...Aaaand I'm back!

Yup, back from a six-month hiatus!...I'm sorry. ;A; Many things have happened during these few months, but the one thing I'm sure I'll never forget is... **DISTANT WORLDS - MUSIC FROM FINAL FANTASY ORCHESTRA!** YES, I went to see it last December! It was so beautiful! I just feel like crying whenever I think about it, I would give so much just to re-live that day, my gosh. ;w; Ahahaha, um. Please forgive me from the wait, hopefully this drabble makes up for it!

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><p><em><strong>Radiant Memories<strong>_

_~Twenty Eight~_

**Wish**

"When you wish upon a star!"

"Stop."

"Makes no difference who you are!"

"I said stop."

"Anything your heart desires..."

"Yuffie."

"Will come to you!"

"Stop singing."

"If your heart is in your d-"

"FINE," an irritated brunet spat, massaging his temples. "If I go star-gazing with you, will you _shut up_?"

"Yaaaaay!" the black-haired ninja cheered happily. "Come on, Squall! Lighten up! Stars hardly ever appear in Radiant Garden! We can't miss it!"

"...What are you talking about? There are stars every night."

"Pretend there aren't." Leon facepalmed.

"Why can't you just go with Zack or Cid or anyone who's not me?"

"Cause Zack's sleeping, and trust me, you can have a marching band play in his room and he still wouldn't wake up, and Cid's a meany," she pouted. "And I picked you because I like you."

"Lucky me," he rolled his blue eyes. The ebony-haired girl dismissed the comment and linked her skinny arm with his muscular one. She began pulling him towards the door, smilling widely.

"Come on! The stars look beautiful at this time!" the man sighed, allowing himself to get dragged away by the annoying, self-proclaimed ninja. What was the point in going? He doubted the stars looked any different than every other day. Quite frankly, stars didn't interest him in the least bit. Well... not anymore. There _was_ a time he loved stars.

_Rinoa used to go star-gazing all the time..._

Yuffie lead him all the way to the cliff right past the Crystal Fissure, where no stars were in sight. Leon looked up at the empty, black sky with a bored expression painted on his features.

"What lovely stars there are tonight," he said sarcastically.

"Wait for it..." Yuffie smiled, sitting on the edge of the cliff. She gave a little pat on the spot next to her, motioning Leon to sit there. He did so, still staring at the sky.

"I really don't see any-" All of a sudden, a twinkling dot appeared in the sky. Then another, and another. One by one, bright stars began to appear in the midnight blue sky. Yuffie grinned, while Leon stared in amazement.

"See? Isn't it beautiful?" she asked. All her companion did was nod, refusing to look away from the view.

They were beautiful, indeed.

And maybe he could learn to love stars again.


	29. Daydream

Well gosh I'm the worst updater ever. ;A; Aha, um. I've decided to upload a few extra drabbles tonight to make up for the last few weeks (ahem months) I didn't. But thank you guys for sticking around! :D

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><p><strong>Radiant Memories<strong>

_~Twenty nine~_

**Daydream**

Tifa Lockhart sat against a wall, tapping her foot every now and then while humming a peaceful melody.

"I think this is the first time I've seen you like this," a deep voice said. She looked up to find a brunet staring down at her, a smirk pasted on his features.

"What do you mean?" she replied, then continued to hum.

"This is the first time I've seen you not looking for_ him_."

She laughed. "I swear, Cloudie's hiding from me."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

"You could beat any of us to a pulp. You probably scared him away."

The dark-haired girl frowned. "Thanks a lot, Leon..."

"Hn, you know I'm joking."

"Still offended."

Leon rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Daydreaming."

"Daydreaming? About what?"

"Come on," she smiled. "It's pretty obvious."

"Ah, of course," Leon replied, wondering why he even asked that question. "Mind if I join you?"

She shook her head as she closed her eyes. Leon sat a few inches away from her, thinking it would be awkward if he sat too close. He threw his arms behind his head and closed his eyes as well.

"Hey... Keep going. I like that song."

Tifa smiled, and continued to hum where she left off.


	30. Rebel

**Radiant Memories**

_~Thirty~_

**Rebel**

A six-year-old ninja walked around Radiant Garden, her hands behind her back to give off an innocent look.

"Everyone's gonna think I'm innocent, but I'm actually not!" she laughed evilly in her head.

She came across a sign that read "**DO NOT TOUCH**", but she touched it anyway because she's oh-so-bad. She cackled loudly after her previous action, earning stares from many. They did not pay much mind, however, since she was still a kid.

Another sign came into view. This time, it read "**NO LOITERING**". She cocked her head. Loitering? Was that even a word?

Yuffie stood there for what seemed like ten minutes, thinking about the unfamiliar word. Loitering... Aerith had never said that word before. Neither did Zack or Squall or Cid, and the last one usually said bad words or weird words no one says anymore.

Seconds later, the shopkeeper walked out of his store and noticed the young girl staring at the sign.

"Hey, kid!" he called out. Yuffie turned to her left. "Can't you read?"

"Uh, yeah?" she replied, confused.

"No loitering! Don't just hang around for no reason! Get outta here!"

The black-haired girl walked away, content that she had broken another rule.

It went on the whole day.

Zack, her babysitter, had been following her the whole day, laughing at how proud she looked every time she disobeyed something.

* * *

><p>"How's Yuffie been?" Aerith asked, smiling sweetly.<p>

"Aha, well..." Zack scratched the back of his head.

Yuffie looked up at him with a fake angry look painted on her features. "Yeah! How have I been, Zack?"

The black-haired boy chuckled. "Rebellious."


	31. Darkness

**Radiant Memories**

_~Thirty one~_

**Darkness**

"WOOT! BLACK OUT!" a redhead, known as Lea, exclaimed excitedly. "THIS CALLS FOR CANDLES! FIRE! FIRE!"

"Mind shutting up for _once?_" his best friend asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Lea stuck out his tongue playfully, though it was hard to see due to the lack of illumination. He flicked open a flashlight and walked to the next room, the kitchen. He opened up a drawer and to his surprise, there were no candles in sight. He opened up another drawer, and another, but unfortunately, he still couldn't find any.

"Hey, what's taking so long?" his red-haired companion asked.

"You forgot to buy candles."

A snort. "No I didn't. They're on top of the fridge."

Isa walked over to the fridge and went on his tippy-toes to be able to see. "None."

"WHAT?" Lea ran into the kitchen and hastily checked every cupboard, every drawer, basically everywhere. But like his friend said, there were no candles at all. "This can't be happening... this can't be happening..." he began to sweat.

"Lea..?" the aforementioned person ran into the corner of his tiny living room and curled up into a ball. Isa followed suit and knelt down before him. "Come on, it's no big deal. We can just use this flashli-" As if on cue, the object turned off, leaving the two in complete darkness. "Nevermind."

Silence.

Neither of them said a word. The only thing that would break the silence every now and then was the roaring of the thunder. Minutes passed and the blue-haired boy grew tired of the quiet. Not being able to handle it any longer, he decided to talk first.

"Lea," he began, sighing. "I'm getting bored here," No answer. "We can go buy some tomorrow and light them up afterwards if you wanna watch fire so badly."

"It's not that," his best friend finally replied, though in a whisper. "It's dark."

"So?"

"I hate the dark," Isa raised an eyebrow. "That's why I keep a night-light on at night. That's why all my curtains are always open. That's why I buy so many candles, but I used all of them without even knowing. Shouldn't have wasted any of them cause if I didn't, we'd have some light right now."

"I don't understand..."

Lea hesitated. "It's kind of stupid, but..." he gulped. "I feel like... If I stay in the darkness for too long, it's gonna consume me. It's gonna take away the light there is in me. Like it's gonna turn me into some kind of monster," There was no reply. "Told ya it was stupid."

Isa remained quiet, realizing how different he and Lea were. He loved the dark. He blocked any form of light from entering his room at night so that he can be surrounded by pitch black. His curtains were never opened, even if the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. If a light bulb didn't work anymore, he wouldn't even care to buy a new one.

With this thought in mind, Isa smiled. He patted his friend's head.

"No... It's not."


	32. Blood

**Radiant Memories**

_~Thirty two~_

**Blood**

"I don't understand how you can get so many bruises from sitting around in the house all day," Aerith sighed, wiping the blood off of Cid's new cut with a warm cloth. She then took out a pink band-aid and stuck it on top of the injury.

Cid grimaced. "Pink? Come on..."

"Zack used up all the normal ones. You know how clumsy he is."

"Whatever," he grumbled. "Dang it, it's all that dumbass' fault!"

"Language, Cid." He mumbled a few other inappropriate things, making Aerith sigh exasperatedly.

"That stupid ninja's gonna be the death of me!"

"Yuffie?"

"Who else?"

"What could she have possibly done that could be so bad?"

"She's always pulling pranks on me and messing with my damn computer!" he screamed. "Everyone sees her do it except for you!"

"Cid-"

"Don't 'Cid' me! I'm telling ya! The only reason she doesn't do it to you is cause you're too sweet! She doesn't do it in front of you cause she doesn't want you to hate her! But behind your back, she's an evil mastermind who's plotting everyone's death and thirsts for the pain and suffering of others!"

"Stop exaggerating. I know for a fact she-"

The brunette was cut off by Leon, who swung the door open with extreme force. On his leg was a huge, bloody cut. Her eyes widened.

"Leon, what..?" she began.

"Yuffie," was all he said.

Aerith turned to look at Cid, who simply replied, "Told ya."


	33. Accident

Decided to write some more. xD

* * *

><p><strong>Radiant Memories<strong>

_~Thirty three~_

**Accident**

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, I SWEAR!" Yuffie exclaimed, at the verge of tears.

There, lying unconscious at her feet was Aerith Gainsborough.

The ninja thought it would be funny to play a prank on Leon (as always). But of course, her plans just had to backfire, and target the sweetest person in Radiant Garden.

Cid, who looked just as worried as the Wutaian, knelt down and lifted the brunette's wrist up to check her pulse.

"...Nothing," he whispered. "You killed her!" he pointed his index finger at Yuffie accusingly. Tears started to pour down her eyes.

She knelt down herself and began to shake her friend. "Aerith, come on... Th-This isn't funny anymore..." she laughed sadly. "Aerith... you have to wake up... Let's go plant some flowers around town! I-I know you really like that..."

She continued to shake Aerith and mumble a bunch of nonsense, hoping it would make her laugh, but to no avail. Zack excused himself and ran out of the living room. Soft cries could be heard from the other side. Leon stood, his back against the wall, refusing to show any emotion, and Cloud copied. Tifa was curled up into a ball, crying silently in the corner of the room.

"I have an idea! We can use a hi-potion on he-" Yuffie began.

"Are you stupid?! Hi-potions only work on those who are alive!" Cid interrupted angrily.

"You've gone too far this time," Leon said. The black-haired girl was surprised to see a tear slide down his cheek, and that made her cry even more.

She hugged Aerith tightly.

"I'm sorry, Aerith! I promise I'll never pull a prank on anyone every again!"

At this, everyone smiled.

"Wow, good job, guys! And extra points to Zack; you almost made _me_ cry!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

Yuffie's eyes widened. She pulled away from the hug and looked at the one before her, who looked as healthy as ever.

"Gotcha."


	34. Kitten

**Radiant Memories**

_~Thirty four~_

**Kitten**

Leon turned around every now and then to check if _it_ was still following him.

"Meow."

Yup, it was there, no doubt about that.

He was hoping to spend a quiet, peaceful afternoon without any disruptions. But _no_, this white kitten just _had_ to pop out of nowhere and follow him around. He sighed in defeat, and stopped in his tracks. It copied him. The brunet turned around, walked up to the feline and glared at it.

"Why are you following me..." he massaged his temples, wondering why he even asked that question. He wasn't going to get a response.

"Meow."

"You know, you're really annoying," he muttered, kneeling down to pet it. It purred at his touch. "But since the day's almost over anyway, I guess you can come along."

He picked up the kitty and placed it on his shoulder. "Don't fall, now." A ghost of a smile appeared on his face when it almost slipped off.

Needless to say, they spent the rest of the day together. Leon didn't want to admit it, but he became attached to the little fellow.

"Hello, Leon!" Aerith, who was probably taking a stroll around town, exclaimed. "Who's your friend?" she pointed to his shoulder.

"It's been following me all day, figured I'd carry it along with me," he patted its head. "It can be really annoying at times, but it's fun having them around."

Aerith stood up and walked over to him. She observed the animal. "Aw, it's so cute! Did you give it a name?"

Leon looked away, his cheeks turning beet red. "You'll make a huge deal out of it."

"No, I won't! What is it?"

"...Yuffie."


	35. Secret

FINALLY, SUMMER VACATION! I'M FREE. ;w; And to start off my summer... after twelve years of waiting... I went to the cinema to watch MONSTERS UNIVERSITY! Have you guys watched it? IF YOU HAVEN'T, YOU SHOULD. I loved it! Anyways, thanks for the reviews and for sticking around! :D

* * *

><p><strong>Radiant Memories<strong>

_~Thirty five~_

**Secret**

"SORA'S GOT A SECRET ADMIRER~!" Yuffie sang loudly, twirling around with a pink envelope in her hand.

"Yuffie!" Sora exclaimed, blushing. "Give it back!"

She stuck her tongue out. "If you can catch me!"

The ninja ran all around Radiant Garden as a desperate brown-haired Keyblade wielder hopelessly followed behind. He tried to stop her by casting various magic spells such as Stop and Blizzard, but to no avail. He eventually grew tired and slowed down his pace.

"You know what..." he frowned. Yuffie stopped jumping around and stared at the fifteen-year-old. "I give up. Who cares about some dumb love letter anyway..." the brunet started walking in the direction of the Gummi Ship, his head hung low. Feeling bad, the black-haired girl looked down at the letter in her hand and sighed.

"Sora, wait!" the Wutaian exclaimed, running up to him. She held out the envelope. "Here."

Sora snatched it out of her hands, grinning. "HA, YOU FELL FOR IT!"

"What?!" she twitched. "YOU SON OF A B-"

Her insult was interrupted by the sound of ripping.

"YAY, I'm so popular!" he exclaimed, eyes sparkling. He wore a huge smile as he read the first few words. However, sentence after sentence, his smile would fade a little. By the end of the paragraph, he stood frozen in place, twitching.

"So? Who's it from?" Yuffie asked, who didn't seem to notice the look of disgust on his face.

When he regained his senses, Sora ripped the paper into pieces.

"...You don't wanna know."

* * *

><p>Who is it from? You decide!<p> 


	36. Crush

**Radiant Memories**

_~Thirty six~_

**Crush**

"You're all red," Tifa Lockhart smirked.

"N-No, I'm not!" Zack Fair stuttered, feeling his cheeks warm up even more.

The dark-haired girl laughed. "No need to be all embarrassed about it, everyone in Radiant Garden knows. Everyone in the other worlds probably know, too."

"WHAT?!" he exclaimed, a look of terror on his face. "Does _she_ know?"

"Oh, right. Everyone except for her." _And everyone knows she likes you except for you._

Zack let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness..."

"You should really make a move though," Tifa looked up as a familiar boy zoomed past her holding a bouquet of pink flowers. "A bunch of guys have a crush on her. She gets a confession maybe once every two weeks."

"Yeah, I think Cloud had a thing for her at one point..."

"Excuse me?"

"...I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

They watched as the person they were talking about rejected yet another poor fellow.

"What if she doesn't like me back?" he asked, frowning.

"As if anyone can resist your charms, soldier."

Zack stood up proudly, pumping his fist in the air. "Yeah, you're right! There's_ no way_ she can reject me! I'm irresistib-"

She pulled him back down. "Geez, you can be so cocky sometimes! I wasn't being serious!"

"Hey, I just was fooling around!"

"You almost blew our cover!" she facepalmed. "But... really. Go confess. Just tell her how you feel about her."

"But..."

"WOULD YOU RATHER SEE HER KISSING SOME OTHER GUY CAUSE YOU'RE TOO MUCH OF A WUSS TO CONFESS?"

"NO, MA'AM!"

"Exactly!" Tifa smiled, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Go. I'll be cheering for you!"

Zack took a deep breath. "Alright... Oh, and Tifa?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

Without another second to lose, he jumped out of his hiding place, startling his crush in the process.

"Hey, Aerith! Sorry for scaring you..." he scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. "Listen, there's something I've been wanting to tell you..."


	37. Love

**Radiant Memories**

_~Thirty seven~_

**Love**

"I love you..." little Yuffie watched as a couple sitting on a park bench touched lips.

"Ew!" she automatically exclaimed, making gag noises.

"What's wrong?" her babysitter, Aerith, asked.

"It's so gross watching people make kissy faces at each other and saying 'I love you' all the time and and and-"

The older girl laughed. "You're gonna fall in love one day too, you know."

"Blech, as if! I'll _never_ fall in love!"

* * *

><p>Sixteen-year-old Yuffie watched as her hero wrapped a bandage around her ankle. Another sprain after another fight.<p>

"Try not to jump from really high places next time," Leon said, putting the tools back in the first aid kit.

The ninja remained quiet, staring at her treated injury.

"Are you even listening?" the brunet asked, getting a bit irritated. "I'm telling you not to for your own good, I don't want you to get hurt again."

The black-haired girl nodded, her cheeks turning a dark crimson.

"You should take a rest, I'll bring you some food in a bit." He stood up and started walking towards the door. But before he was able to exit the room, Yuffie spoke up.

"Leon, I'm sorry for always causing you trouble..."

The brown-haired man turned around, smirking. "It's alright. As long as you're safe." With that, he closed the door.

Yuffie lay back down, smiling to herself. "Huh... And I told myself I'd never fall in love..."


	38. Tournament

**Radiant Memories**

_~Thirty eight~_

**Tournament**

"If I win, he's mine. But if you win, which I highly doubt, he's yours. Deal?" a dark-haired girl, known as Tifa Lockhart, said as she held her hand out.

"Hm... deal," Aerith Gainsborough said, shaking her opponent's hand.

Each took a step back, an evil glint in both their eyes.

"Cloudie! Aren't you gonna stop them?" a short-haired ninja asked.

The blonde watched as the two girls took a fighting stance. "...No."

"Don't tell me you _like_ watching these two fight," Leon, who had his back against the wall, said in a monotone.

"They won't listen to a thing I say," Cloud said. "Besides, it's not like I mind all that much..."

"Well, Zack does. Aerith isn't gonna pay attention to him anymore if she wins," the Wutaian said, pointing at a boy who tearfully watched the 'tournament' or so Tifa calls it. She patted his head. "Sorry, Zack... You're never here for long. Guess she wanted someone who always was."

"That doesn't make me feel bet-" he was interrupted by the sound of Tifa's cheering.

"HA! ROCK BEATS SCISSORS!"

Everyone sweatdropped, except for a black-haired boy who was crying tears of joy.

"So, rather than sending punches and kicks... they've decided on rock paper scissors..." Leon couldn't believe this. He, Cloud, Yuffie and Zack watched as Aerith fell to her knees, defeated.

"I lost..." she whispered sadly.

"YES, I won!" Tifa smiled happily, running towards Cloud with her arms outstretched.

She sped past him, however, and picked up a little dalmatian named Patch.

"You're all mine now!"


	39. Mystery

**Radiant Memories**

_~Thirty nine~_

**Mystery**

* * *

><p>"Uh... Lea?" a blue-haired boy known as Isa stared at his best friend in confusion. Instead of having his hair up resembling flames, it was down with a big chunk of hair covering one eye, and instead of his usual every day outfit, he was wearing a long, black coat. He had his arms crossed, with his back against the wall.<p>

"Oh, hey Isa," the redhead greeted, not bothering to look up to face his friend.

"...Why do you look like Ienzo?"

"Hn."

"No, seriously."

"What're you talking about?"

Isa massaged his temples. "What gave you the idea to cosplay as Even's lab assistant or experiment or whatever?"

Before answering, Lea looked around the place, then threw on the biggest smile Isa's ever seen.

"You know Arlene, right?"

"No, I don't," the blue-haired male answered sarcastically.

"Right, well anyways, I got a few people to do some research on her for me, and turns out... she totally digs me, man!" he jumped up and down like a five-year-old before quickly composing himself when he noticed someone was staring.

"What?"

"They managed to snatch her diary and on a page it read, 'I love Lea'!"

"Are you sure it didn't say 'I loathe Lea'?" Isa rolled his eyes. "Well, that still doesn't explain why you're dressed up like this."

"Oh yeah! Well, there was a page titled 'What I Look For In A Guy' and it said her ideal guy would be the mysterious... sarcastic... mature... type... who..." The redhead twitched as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oh. So, it's guys like Isa..."

"Guys like me what?"

"...Whatever. There are other chicks out there."


	40. Flirt

**Radiant Memories**

_~Forty~_

**Flirt**

* * *

><p>"Excuse me, did you just cast Aeroga? Because you swept me off my feet."<p>

"Not even Namine can erase my memories of you."

"You must be a Heartless because you've just stolen my heart."

"I'd put my Keyblade in your keyhole!"

"SORA!"

"What? Come on Riku, that was hilarious!"

The two boys began to bicker endlessly, giving a certain black-haired ninja a headache.

And pick-up lines? Really?

That's what they call flirting? How embarrassing...

"BE QUIET, BOTH OF YOU!" she screamed, as the childish teens turned away from each other, arms crossed. "As your love instructor, I vowed to teach you two how to win the heart of the girl of your dreams... But the problem is, the two of you are in love with the same person. So I was thinking-"

"Why don't you give up already, Kairi _definitely_ likes me more. I'm mature, intelligent, heroic and obviously handsome," the silver-haired boy stated proudly.

"Not to mention full of himself! She likes me, didn't you see our Paopu Fruit drawing in the Secret Place? Ha, _exactly!_"

"Pssh, that drawing was made years ago, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't have any feelings for you anymore!"

"GUYS!" she screamed once more, irritated. "IF YOU KEEP FIGHTING, WE'RE NOT GONNA GET ANYWHERE AND YOUR PRECIOUS KAIRI IS GONNA BE SWEPT OFF HER FEET BY SOME OTHER GUY!"

The brown-haired boy sighed. "She's right."

"I'm always right. So, any ideas on how to confess to her?"

"..."

"..."

"Girl, is your name Roxas? Cause you're rocking that ass!"

"Did you just base that off your Nobody?"

Yuffie just stared at the two in disbelief.

"I hope she ends up with neither of you."


	41. Flowergirl

**Radiant Memories**

_~Forty one~_

**Flowergirl**

"Hey, Aerith?" a spiky blonde blurted out, catching the attention of a certain brunette.

"Yes, Cloud?" she wiped some sweat off her brow, then continued to dig a hole in the dirt.

"What got you to like flowers so much?" Aerith looked up at her friend, and former crush.

"Since when were_ you_ so interested in knowing, huh Cloud?" she asked in a mocking tone, smiling.

The blonde coughed awkwardly. "I don't know, every time I see you, you're always... planting or... doing something related to flowers."

"Well... if you really want to know..." she proceeded in doing her signature thinking pose. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing," she grinned. "When I was little, my mom would always plant flowers in our yard. But one day, she got sick and so I decided to fill in for her. It became a habitual activity since then."

"So... basically... you plant flowers almost every day, giving everyone the impression that you love them, when in fact, you don't love them as much, since it's just a pastime?"

"Bingo," she replied. "It's just some daily routine, in a way. But... it's also something that makes me happy."

After that said, Cloud knealt down beside her, and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows.

"Mind if I help?"

She smiled. "Not at all."

* * *

><p>Just a few more to go! :) Thanks for the reviews!<p> 


	42. Calm Before The Storm

**Radiant Memories**

_~Forty two~_

**Calm Before The Storm**

Could it be?

_"Hey Squall, I'm gonna be gone for about a week, so don't sit out on the door steps waiting for me to come back any time sooner!"_

Dreams really do come true.

One week without that annoying, loud-mouthed self-proclaimed ninja.

Just five more days until she comes back, also meaning five more days of freedom, happiness.

The brunet got out of bed with a smile on his face, amazingly, and changed into his every day clothes. When he locked his last belt, he slowly opened his bedroom door, awaiting to live a perfect day, when suddenly-

**SPLASH!**

"WHAT THE?!" he yelled, wiping the water off his face furiously. When he managed to open his eyes, he came face-to-face with the last person he wanted to see. "YUFFIE?!"

"Hey, Leon! Missed me?" she winked playfully.

"What... it's only been two days!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! There's been a change of plans, so I got to go home earlier, isn't that grea-"

Leon slammed the door in her face and went back to bed, all thoughts about having a perfect day leaving his mind completely.

"I'm going back to sleep."


	43. Lion

**Radiant Memories**

_~Forty three~_

**Lion**

"Hey, Squall..." Yuffie said out of the blue.

"Leon," he corrected. "What do you want?"

"I've been thinking a lot lately," she said, both hands cupping her face and her elbows on the table before her.

"That's a surprise."

"Haha," she responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, you know, if you were an animal, you'd be a lion."

"A lion?"

"Yup! You're strong, responsible and badass!"

He smirked. It was pretty much a compliment. "Thanks."

"Hm, Aerith would be a bunny, don't you think?" she asked. "I mean, she's innocent, gentle and really, really nice!"

"What motivated you to think of this," he said in a monotone, making it seem as though it weren't a question.

Disregarding Leon's previous 'question', the raven-haired girl continued. "Cloud would be a chocobo."

"The heck's a chocobo?"

"I saw them a few times in Wutai. They're these bird... like... they're like horse-sized chickens."

"What."

"Well, they're fast and strong and they disappear often, I think? I dunno. It just screams 'Cloud' to me."

"Okay... so, what about Tifa?"

"She would be a jaguar. She's tough, independant and a great fighter. Also, jaguars look mysterious to me, and her black attire gives off a mysterious look."

"Did you really think of all this?"

The black-haired girl nodded. "Well, as I was saying, Cid would be a donkey." Leon coughed, trying his hardest not to laugh.

"That's basically calling him an ass."

"He's a big meanie, he swears all the time and he's always in a bad mood. Donkeys always seemed like that type to me."

"What would Sora be?"

"Aw, Sora would be a puppy! she grinned. "He's fun, cheerful, loyal... he's just so adorable! Just like puppies!"

"And Merlin?"

"A fish, definitely. He's often underestimated, when he can actually do great things!" she exclaimed. "So?"

"So, what?"

"What animal would I be?" the brunet thought for a moment.

"You would be..." Yuffie's eyes sparkled, hoping to hear the name of a graceful, majestic, strong animal. Perhaps a swan, oh, a skillful animal like a chameleon would be great as well, or maybe- "A parrot."

She twitched. "A parrot?!"

"Yes... You're extremely annoying, you never shut up and you always dress up in flashy colors," he said, pointing at her outfit, which consisted of a green tube top, tan shorts, brown elbow-length gloves with orange fingerless gloves over them, cream-colored middle thigh-length socks and who could forget that flashy, yellow scarf?

"Aha... right... so, mind telling me what animal _really_ reminds you of me?"

He facepalmed.


	44. Desert

**Radiant Memories**

_~Forty four~_

**Desert**

"Pass me another ice cream, please," Kairi, who came to visit worlds with Sora, said as she fanned herself. She sat outside under a barricade of umbrellas with the brunet himself and his friends Aerith, Yuffie and Leon.

"Um... would you like a melted sea salt ice cream or a melted strawberry one?" the brown-haired Keyblade wielder asked, looking through a cooler that didn't seem to help at all.

His redheaded best friend groaned. "Is it normally this hot in Radiant Garden?"

"Oh no, the weather is usually colder. I'm guessing this is one of those once-in-a-year heat waves," Aerith sweetly answered, wearing a pink tank top and red shorts.

"I hate this! It's like I'm in a desert!" Yuffie whined like a little kid. She was wearing what she dubbed as her 'Traverse Town outfit', which was a green tube top and tan shorts. She decided it was best to leave out the accessories. It was too hot for that. "Leon! Spread some of the coldness in your personality to lower the temperature!"

The swordsman rolled his eyes.

"Come on, you guys think _this_ is hot?" Sora asked, laughing. "You should see Agrabah! It's_ ten_ times hotter!"

"He's right. It's_ terrible_ there. I seriously don't understand how Aladdin survives," Kairi added.

After a bit more talk about Agrabah, sunburns and funny stories (ones told especially by Sora and Yuffie), the ninja noticed it's gotten a bit darker.

"Hey, I think the sun's starting to set!" Yuffie beamed, then moved an umbrella a bit to the right to take a peek. The sun's rays immediately came in contact with her eyes, causing the Wutaian to fall backwards and hiss over-exaggeratedly. "Oh my gosh- I'm blind!" She rolled on the ground with her hands over her eyes for quite some time. No one even dared to help her, it was such a funny sight.

However, Aerith decided to end all the young girl's pain by giving her a potion. When it came into effect, she immediately stood up, glaring at each one of them.

"Thanks a lot for your help, you jerks!" she yelled.

Leon smirked. "No problem."

* * *

><p>Omg, I'm almost done with this challenge. o.o It's so weird to think LOL. Thanks for the reviews! :D<p> 


	45. Dance

**Radiant Memories**

_~Forty five~_

**Dance**

"Um... Aerith?" Zack scratched the back of his head. "Aren't we a little too_ old_ to play dress up?"

"Of course not! _No one's_ too old to play dress up," the brunette said from the other side of the door.

The black-haired soldier found it a little weird how the mature Aerith Gainsborough, who constantly told him to behave when he fooled around, wanted to play such a game. Guess she had her childish sides, too.

"Are you ready yet?" he asked, growing impatient of waiting. He's been waiting for over thirty minutes already.

"Hold on! Hm... wait... ah! Done!" she exclaimed, stepping out of the room. Zack's eyes widened. "How do I look?" She smiled as she twirled around. She was wearing a yellow ball gown with matching elbow-length gloves and high heels. She looked like a princess straight out of a fairytale.

This was definitely worth the long wait.

"You look... great!" he complimented, a bit embarrassed that he wasn't able to say something a lot better. However, his words were enough to make her smile.

"Thank you... You look great as well." Zack Fair was wearing a white polo shirt with a blue vest with gold linings over it, a pair of black pants and a pair of brown boots. He looked just like a prince from a storybook.

"Of course I do!" he joked. "So, we're dressed up as the main characters of your favorite fairytale, right?" she nodded almost too happily. "...Why?"

"Because I'm going to teach you how to dance!"

"What? Uh, no. I really can't dance," he laughed nervously. "And I don't really mind living the rest of my life not knowing how."

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Aerith exclaimed as she grabbed his arm and dragged him into Merlin's living room. She took his right hand and placed it on her waist, while her left hand rested on his right shoulder. Their remaining hands were intertwined. Zack gulped, feeling his face getting warm. They were so close to each other.

"I-I lead, right?" he stuttered.

The brunette giggled. "Yes, why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous." The yellow-clad woman then began to instruct her partner on how to waltz. There were a few accidents here and there considering how clumsy Zack is, but by the end of the day, he seemed to have gotten the use of it.

"Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme..." Aerith softly sang, then hummed the rest of the song. They stopped dancing and Zack politely thanked her for teaching him how to. "You're welcome" was her reply.

Silence took over, since neither had anything to say afterwards. However, it wasn't an awkward silence, it was a comfortable one. They continued to dance a little bit more, losing themselves in each other's eyes. The raven-haired boy decided to take a chance and slowly began to inch closer to the girl in front of him with closed eyes. Noticing this, the brunette closed her eyes and started inching closer as well. Their lips were just inches apart until...

"Beauty and the Beast, huh?" a familiar voice said. The prince and princess' eyes shot wide open and they swiftly turned their heads.

"L-Leon?!" they both said simultaneously.

The tall brunet smirked. "Oh, don't mind me. Carry on."

* * *

><p>Leon's probably thinking, "I ship it." LOL<p> 


	46. Sleep

**Radiant Memories**

_~Forty six~_

**Sleep**

"Aqua!" two voices exclaimed at the same time. A blonde and a brunet ran over to their friend who fell over, worried looks on her faces. Terra picked up the apple she held in her hand and turned to Ventus.

"Where_ exactly_ did you get this? he asked. The fruit had a bite mark on it.

"In Snow White's basket... It looked the most fresh out of all the others, so I..." he trailed off, realizing what a stupid move he made.

"Ven, you don't go stealing other people's stuff!" he scolded, catching the attention of several Radiant Garden residents, embarrassing poor Ven. "And you _especially_ don't give it to someone else without making sure whether it's safe or not!"

"I'm sorry, I-" the brunet sighed at his companion's naivety.

"Yeah, well tell that to Aqua."

The young Keyblade wielder knealt down next to the blue-haired girl. "Well... at least she's only asleep."

"I don't know how to wake her up though... Am I supposed to cast a spell or something?"

Ven's face lit up. "Hey! I've seen this happen in Enchanted Dominion before! Prince Phillip _kissed_ Aurora to wake her up! I think that'll work in this case, too!"

Silence.

"Well, what're you waiting for, Terra?" the blonde asked.

"What?" the tall man asked, blushing.

"Wake Aqua up."

"W-Why me?"

"Cause she'd probably prefer it if you were the one who woke her up."

"...Fine, but it's only to wake her up. We will never speak of this again," he huffed.

"Oh! Hold on," Ventus quickly picked a red rose from the ground. He positioned the sleeping beauty's hands to be rested over her chest and placed the flower in between. "There, much better."

Terra knealt down and took a deep breath. He slowly moved his face closer to hers with closed eyes and right before he was going to lock lips with hers...

**SLAP!**

The brunet fell backwards and stared at the girl before him with wide eyes.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she screeched, her face a crimson red.

"You ate a poisonous apple, so we figured if Terra kissed you, you'd wa-"

"That apple was perfectly fine! I just accidentally casted a Sleep spell on myself!"

"...Oh."


	47. Wizard

**Radiant Memories**

_~Forty seven~_

**Wizard**

"Hey, grandpa!" Yuffie called out to Merlin jokingly.

The wise, old wizard appeared before the seven-year-old, ajusting his thick glasses. "Yes, dear?"

"Teach me how to cast magic spells and disappear and stuff!" she exclaimed bossily.

The old man chuckled. "It takes years of practice."

"That's too long," she pouted. "I need to learn now!"

"And may I ask why?" he started walking in the direction of his house, and the little girl followed closely behind.

"I wanna be a ninja before my next birthday!"

Merlin stopped in his tracks and looked down at the girl. She had a serious expression on her face and her two hands were clenched tight on either side of her body. He tried to think of many ways on how to tell her that it would require at least four years of training (to learn how to fight _and_ to learn magic spells, even though the latter wasn't an ability ninjas usually had), until he got an idea.

"Alright, Yuffie. Would you like to learn how to cast spells?" he rolled up a sleeve, which was actually quite unnecessary, considering it fell back to its previous place.

The black-haired girl jumped up and down in excitement screaming "Really?" several times.

Merlin instructed her to turn around and to throw her hand in front of her, as if she were telling someone to stop what they were doing. She obeyed, and right after she did, a ball of fire appeared. It quickly disappeared after a matter of seconds.

She turned around and smiled widely at the old man. "Did you see that?! I made a fire ball appear!"

"Yes, I did see that!" She continued to throw her hand out, and each time she did, a different element would follow.

"Wow! You're very talented for a young girl your age."

"Ha! It took people millions of years to learn, but it only took me five seconds!" she hugged her teacher tightly. "Thanks, gramps!"

The raven-haired girl took off, eager to tell her friends all about her experience.

Merlin debated whether telling her he was the one casting the spells or not (he felt as though he fed her a mouthful of lies), when he saw Yuffie's face light up as she told Aerith. She looked so happy, excited, proud...

He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, finally deciding not to.

* * *

><p>AW, MERLIN. I just realized this is his first appearance in this drabble collection omg. o.o<p>

Thanks for reviewing! :D


	48. Cook

**Radiant Memories**

_~Forty eight~_

**Cook**

"The only thing I can cook up is a knuckle sandwich."

"Oh, come now-"

"No seriously."

Aerith sweatdropped as she watched Tifa make a mess out of the kitchen in Merlin's cozy little house.

"Ta-da!" the dark-haired girl exclaimed as she presented her... _creation_ to the flowergirl.

"And this is...?" she asked, her eye slightly twitching.

"Soup!"

The brunette was at a loss for words. No one could possibly cook_ this_ bad.

Tifa was a great fighter. This was nothing but a rumor, but apparently, she once punched someone so hard that they spat out all their teeth. Aerith didn't expect cooking to beat her.

"I know it doesn't look that appetising, but I can bet the flavor's gonna be A plus."

Aerith hesitantly scooped up a bit of broth from the bowl and slowly brought it up to her lips. She opened her mouth allowing the liquid to enter. It took up all her strength not to spit it out, since she didn't want to offend her friend.

"So? How is it?" Tifa asked, awaiting the results.

"It's... different." The brunette was not the type to lie and give people false hope.

The raven-haired girl sunk into her chair. "I thought I perfected it this time..."

The flowergirl smiled whole-heartedly. "Would you like me to teach you?" Tifa nodded.

The two women spent the whole day cooking, using up the majority of the ingredients found in the cupboards. After approximately four hours, they managed to bake a strawberry shortcake, a dozen of chocolate chip cookies and a muffin (made by Tifa, who insisted on doing one treat on her own).

"Good work, Tifa. I'm sure you've gotten better. Your muffin looks great, too," Aerith complimented.

Two spiky-haired boys entered the kitchen moments later, sniffing the air.

"Yum! Dessert! Don't mind if I do!" Zack smiled, reaching out for the muffin.

After one bite, he choked on it, which resulted in Cloud giving him the heimlich maneuver.

"...WAS THAT AN ATTEMPT TO KILL ME?"

Disregarding the previous comment, Tifa turned to Aerith asking, "You know, I think I'll just stick to fighting for now."


	49. Cid

**Radiant Memories**

_~Forty nine~_

**Cid**

Cid Highwind was a lot of things.

He was a man of technology. He could hack into any existing system. He memorized over one hundred codes. And he loved it.

He loved Gummi Ships; constructing them, to be precise. He liked fixing them up and customizing them. Sora and his friends were currently riding one of his best works.

And last but not least, he was also a-

"-big poophead!"

"_Excuse me?_"

"That's right!" Yuffie exclaimed. "A big poophead!"

"It was your own damn fault, don't go off blaming other people!" he angrily yelled back as he smashed his keyboard.

"It was_ your_ fault! Thanks to you, my favorite and strongest weapon is now in two!" she angrily threw her gigantic shuriken on the floor and stomped upstairs. She slammed her door shut with full force, causing the whole house to shake.

The blonde stopped typing a code halfway through, feeling just a tiny bit guilty for what just happened.

A Heartless appeared right before him when he took a step outside, he obviously had to defend himself. Since he didn't have a weapon of his own, he took the first thing he saw- which was her shuriken- and threw it at the monster.

He wasn't expecting it to slice it into half with its claws, though.

He scoffed, repeating the scene in his head.

It wasn't his fault.

If that thing really was Yuffie's favorite, why was it carelessly laying around the place?

And he had to defend himself. What was he supposed to do, let the Heartless kill him?

He sighed, "Damn ninja..."

* * *

><p>"Hey! Someone got me a new shuriken! Oh, cool! It's at 80 plus strength and defense!" Yuffie cheered as she danced around the room with it. "Hey, Cid! You've been in the house all day, who got this for me? Squall? Aerith? Cloudie?"<p>

"No idea."

-he was also a big softie.

* * *

><p>One more to go! :)<p> 


	50. Fight

**Radiant Memories**

_~Fifty~_

**Fight**

"S-Squall..."

A weak Yuffie lay in Leon's arms, clutching his shirt tightly. A sharp blade stuck out of her side as dark red liquid poured out of her. She winced in pain every few seconds, trying her hardest to withstand the excrutiating pain.

"Yuffie! Hold on! I'll get you a..." he searched through his pockets, realizing he used up all his potions and hi-potions. He looked around, hoping to see a familiar face, but no one was around. Due to the Heartless invasion, the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee stayed behind to fight them off while the residents hurried off to the underground tunnels for safety.

The fights started off easy, but as time passed by, the number doubled at each kill. Soon enough, it increased up to a thousand and it became too much for them to handle.

"Just wait here, I'll run to the nearest shop to get you a hi-potion!" Leon was just about to let go of her, when the ninja clutched his shirt tighter.

"D-Don't leave me," she sobbed.

"Yuffie, you really need it right n-"

"I don't," Tears began to form in her eyes. "I just need you right now." The brunet nodded. In her condition, even if he sprinted to the shop and back, she'd be... gone when he returned.

He couldn't believe this. First Zack, then Aerith...

"Squall." He didn't even care that she called him that.

"Yes?"

"I..." Her breathing was getting weaker and the blood wouldn't stop pouring out of her. Leon knew that she didn't have much time left, and the thought alone made his heart ache. "I know I h-haven't been the easiest... person to handle, but... I-I'm really glad I met you..."

The swordsman fought back the tears, "Me, too."

Hearing this, she did the one thing she always did, the one thing she never failed to do...

She smiled.

"Squall, I..." she said weakly. "I... I'll see you later."

With that said, she closed her eyes slowly, and her chest stopped rising and falling. With wide eyes, Leon pressed his head against her chest, hoping to hear a heartbeat; it didn't matter if it was weak, just as long as he was able to heal her again.

But instead, there was silence.

* * *

><p>Leon sat upright in cold sweat, panting heavily. He eyed the clock on his desk, which clearly read 9:27AM, and silently thanked the heavens that it was all just a dream.<p>

Later on, after he changed into his every day clothes, he made his way to the kitchen to get some breakfast. He wasn't expecting the bubbly ninja to be there, however.

"Morning, Squall!" Yuffie cheerfully exclaimed, grinning.

The brunet didn't know what took over him, but right after her greeting, he found himself walking up to her with open arms. Once he reached her, his arms draped over her petite figure, locking her into a tight hug. He dug his head into her hair (which smelled good by the way, though he would never admit it) as an attempt to hide the pink blush on his cheeks.

"S-Squall? W-What are you doing?" the raven-haired girl stuttered, feeling her face getting warm.

"Just shut up for a second, will you?" he hugged her tighter, feeling as if he were to let her go, he'd lose her just like in his nightmare.

She closed her mouth, obeying his command. Yuffie stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to let go. She waited for what felt like five minutes, but he still didn't let go.

Realizing there wasn't an escape from this, she eased up and decided to do the easiest thing.

And that was by hugging him back.

**.the end.**

* * *

><p>OH MY GOSH, IT'S OVER.<p>

And I decided to end with a Squffie, not only because I love that couple, but also because WD5 is a big fan of that pairing as well. :D

This challenge was so much fun! I'd like to thank those of you who added this story to your favorites and follows/alerts!

**Oh, also a special thanks to my reviewers:**

**protoave14**  
><strong>DestinyCrusader<strong>  
><strong>mr grimjaw<strong>  
><strong>Reckutx<strong>  
><strong>xDarknessAngelx<strong>  
><strong>MsSlicingClaws<strong>  
><strong>MinatsukiSoul<strong>  
><strong>RoseOfADifferentColor<strong>  
><strong>Crown of Diadem<strong>  
><strong>Kh530<strong>  
><strong>Riley-Hell's-Princess<strong>  
><strong>InomaCallain<strong>  
><strong>Sookdeo<strong>  
><strong>Scruff the Rat<strong>

**The anons:**

**BeyondTheClouds**  
><strong>xionhikairi<strong>  
><strong>Cloudy<strong>

And of course, the lovely WishingDreamer5 for the reviews, fave, alert and this awesometastic challenge!

Thank you. :)

~ KC-Chan13


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